@phdthesis{Mechler2020,
  author    = {Mechler, Clemens Thomas},
  title     = {Pr{\"a}valenz intestinaler Protozoeninfektionen in Ijinga Island, Tansania},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-21880},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218803},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Intestinal infections with pathogenic protozoa may cause severe disease and remain a neglected problem in regions with inadequate sanitation and hygiene standards, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, very little data about the prevalence of these infections in risk groups exist from the region. The present study was therefore conducted to assess the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections in a representative population sample on Ijinga Island, north-western Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study which was carried out in 2016 as part of the on-going SchistoControl pilot project on Ijinga Island, north-western Tanzania. A single stool sample was collected from 357 participants and examined microscopically for presence of trophozoites or cysts of intestinal protozoan parasites. In addition, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to determine the species of intestinal protozoa. Results: Based on microscopy and qPCR, the prevalence of Giardia intestinalis infection was 12\% and 15.1\%, respectively. Based on microscopy, the prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar was 26.1\%. However, through species identification using qPCR, 21.8\% of the study participants were carrying non-pathogenic E. dispar and none of them was infected with E. histolytica. Conclusion: Intestinal protozoan infections are common among the population in the study area. The detection of these infections in different age groups indicates a poor hygienic standard in the community. Improvement in water, sanitation, hygiene and public health education on hand washing will help in controlling these infections.},
  subject      = {Entamoeba histolytica},
  language  = {de}
}